Amazon Launches In-Car Delivery

Just as Amazon wants the smart-key to your front door to deliver your items inside, the ecommerce giant now wants to deliver items inside your car. Amazon Prime members who own Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, and Volvo automobiles can download the Amazon Key mobile app to schedule deliveries to their vehicles.

Press release follows:

Amazon today announced that Amazon Key, the service that already enables in-home delivery and keyless guest access, now gives customers an option to receive deliveries inside their vehicle. With Amazon Key In-Car, Prime members with compatible vehicles now have the convenience of having packages delivered inside their cars when parked in a publicly accessible area, typically at their home or workplace.

In-car delivery is available at no extra cost for Prime members and is available today in 37 cities and surrounding areas across the U.S. with more cities rolling out over time. Delivery is available on tens of millions of items sold on Amazon.com and works with Same Day, Two-Day and Standard Shipping.

Amazon gave a select number of customers from across the country early access to Amazon Key In-Car; view a video of them sharing their experience here.

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“The in-car delivery option is another way Amazon helps ensure that my order is delivered safely and conveniently. Setup was super easy for my OnStar-equipped car—I granted Amazon Key permission to open my car’s trunk and the ability to relock my car when done, and that was it,” said Scott L. from Miami, one of the Amazon Prime members who received early access to the service. “I can’t wait to check my car’s trunk to see what’s delivered next!”

To get started, customers download the Amazon Key App and then link their Amazon account with their connected car service account. Once setup is complete and the delivery location has been registered, customers can shop on Amazon.com and select the “In-Car” delivery option at checkout.

On delivery day, the Amazon Key App lets customers check if they’ve parked within range of the delivery location, and provides notifications with the expected 4-hour delivery time window. The App also notifies customers when the delivery is on its way, and the package has been delivered. Customers can track when their car was unlocked and relocked in the App’s activity feed, and rate their in-car delivery.

“Since launching Amazon Key last November, we’ve safely delivered everything from cameras to collectable coins inside the home. Customers have also told us they love features like keyless guest access and being able to monitor their front door from anywhere with the Amazon Key App,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President of Delivery Technology, Amazon. “In-car delivery gives customers that same peace of mind and allows them to take the Amazon experience with them. And, with no additional hardware or devices required, customers can start ordering in-car delivery today.”

In-car delivery is available to customers with a compatible 2015 or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle with an active OnStar account, and customers with a 2015 or newer Volvo vehicle with an active Volvo On Call account. Support for even more vehicle makes and models will be added over time.

“Unlocking Amazon Key In-Car delivery for more than 7 million Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac owners is another great example of how we are leveraging the embedded connectivity in our vehicles to provide our customers with services that make their ownership experience more valuable,” said Alan Batey, president, General Motors North America.

Amazon uses multiple layers of verification to ensure the security of in-car deliveries. Each time a delivery driver requests access to a customer’s vehicle, Amazon verifies that an authorized driver is at the right location with the right package, through an encrypted authentication process. Once this process is successfully completed, the car is then unlocked. Customers receive a notification via the Amazon Key App after the delivery is completed and the vehicle is relocked. No special codes or keys are ever provided to delivery drivers. For added peace of mind, in-car delivery is backed by Amazon’s Happiness Guarantee.

“Simplification of experience for our consumers is central to Volvo’s digital vision. Receiving a package securely and reliably in your car, without you having to be there, is something we think many people will appreciate. Our partnership with Amazon now makes this possible for a majority of our customers in the US,” said Atif Rafiq, Chief Digital Officer at Volvo Cars. “This intersection between transportation and commerce could very well be the next wave of innovation, and we intend to be at the forefront.”

In addition to enabling in-car delivery, Amazon Key is a smart entry solution that offers customers keyless entry, remote lock and unlock, and guest access, as well as the option to have packages delivered inside the home.

To check eligibility and to sign up for Amazon Key In-Car, visit www.amazon.com/keyincar.

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com.